The Billionaire's Island Romance (The Romero Brothers, Book 3.5) Read Online Free PDF

see you there. When did you arrive?”
    “Oh, I flew in this morning. You know me.
I’m always here every month to ensure things are running smoothly. You know how
upset I can get when things are not running well.”
    Arianna said nothing. That was not the
reason he was here.
    “Is everything okay?” Christian turned to
her, noticing her rigid body language.
    “Oh, you have a handsome friend here,” he
said, his lips curled in disgust. His voice was laced with sarcasm. “And you
are?”
    “Someone who’s concerned about the way
you’re talking to Arianna.”
    “Oh, dear. What have we here? A protective friend?” Uncle Ned arched a
brow. He gave Christian the once-over, eyeing him up and down.
    “It’s okay, Christian. Uncle Ned was just
leaving.”
    “Oh, but I just got here,” he said
sarcastically. His speech was slightly slurred. Had he been drinking again at
this time of the day? “I’m going to enjoy my stay for the next week or so. Who
knows, I may hang around longer.” Ned then turned to look around the grand
lobby. “You know, I’ve always thought this place could do with a new coat of
paint.” His lips were turned up in disgust as he grabbed his jacket and bag and
weaved his way towards the elevator.
    “Trouble maker,” Arianna whispered under
her breath. For as long as she could remember, her uncle had always been
intoxicated, obnoxious and bitter. Bitter about anything and everything. She
tried to warm up to him on many occasions, but to no avail. He had threatened
her and lashed out at her in the past when she tried to defend her father in
his presence. He had a personal vendetta against her dad, his younger brother.
A sibling rivalry that ran so deep and dark it literally tore apart the family.
    “And why is this guy here? Don’t tell me it’s
because you share some DNA?”
    “No. I just…He’s entitled to stay here
whenever he wants.”
    “Arianna, why do I get the feeling there’s
so much more to this?”
    “It’s okay, Christian. Listen, I’ve got to
get things prepared for your cousin’s wedding. I mean, I have to oversee the
shipment coming in and then stock the placeholders,” she said nervously as she
scanned some notes on her clipboard. Her fingers trembled.
    Christian took the clipboard from Arianna and
laid it on the desk. He then reached over and lifted her hand to his lips and
kissed her skin, sending a pleasing tingle inside her belly. He pulled her
close to him and hugged her. She could feel his energy and his support.
    “Thank you,” she murmured, looking into his
dark, sexy eyes.
    “For what?” Christian grinned.
    “For just being you. For everything.”
    “That’s what I’m here for. Now, what’s up
with dear old Uncle Ned?”
    “Oh, he’s quite a character,” Arianna said,
opening up to him little by little. Her heart thumped erratically in her chest.
Her mind still whirled in a daze as to how much she should reveal to Christian
about her family and their darkest secrets.

 
 
 
 
CHAPTER FOUR

 
    “So, your uncle wants to ruin your life,
too?” Christian said later that afternoon. He was seated on the private patio
overlooking the pool opposite Arianna. He’d convinced her to unwind after a challenging
day at work.
    “Yeah. He has this terrible gambling
addiction. My dad never really got along with him.”
    “I see.”
    “He’s had a few businesses in the past,
under different names.”
    “Different names?”
    “Yeah. I mean, he would open up different
kinds of ‘fast money-making’ businesses as he would
call them. He started harassing us and threatening to take the hotel when his
businesses went bust and his gambling debts increased. Of course we’d helped
him out a bit in the past but…we stopped. We told him he needed to get help. We
don’t owe him anything but he still tries to…” she hesitated for a moment.
    “Wait a minute. Did you say he was trying
to take the hotel away from you?”
    “Yeah,” she sighed, her